The Six Of Us We Fit
by Lilylovesbones
Summary: Five years ago, Derek Hale was dumped by his wife. Now he struggles raising his two young sons while working for the family business, keeping his sister and mother away from his love life. His unplanned meeting with a gorgeous father-of-two outside his sons' elementary school doesn't help his already stressed out life.
1. It All Begins With a Jump

Kate left during the night, sneaking out of the house he had bought with the money his parents had given him to help him after college: the two-floor, red roof and white-fenced house standing tall in the woods surrounding the small town of Beacon Hill was a dream come true to him when he first saw it nine years earlier. He had been a fool, getting married so young and without having a job, to a woman ten years older than him, nonetheless. But those blonde hair and sparkling eyes had gotten to him without him noticing.

The first time he held his eldest son, he knew he had chosen the right path: he was meant to be a father and he was going to be the best that ever existed. It didn't matter that Kate had looked resentful when she first took Jackson into her arms, it didn't matter if her eyes seemed filled with hate whenever the small boy started crying because she was stressed and couldn't sleep well. That was all.

When Isaac came, Derek thought things could get better. They were experienced now, they had already been through it all and nothing new could come. Except their son was sick. The doctors said he suffered from a genetic malfunction making his heartbeat way too fast and that he had to be operated as soon as possible. Kate left two days before the surgery.

At the time he didn't have time to worry, there were more important things to worry about and his coward wife was not the first thing in his to-do list. Isaac came trough safe and sound and Derek found himsef divorced and with two kids to take care of.

Jackson was the loud one of the pair: he could never keep quiet, he would always speak his mind, much to his father's dismay, and somehow managed to find trouble wherever he went. The fact that he still got straight A's even after pissing off most of his teacher in elementary school kept his dad and aunt from cutting off his tongue when his lips parted and threatened to start speaking.

Isaac was quiet; he was a thinker and never spoke unless he was sure about what he wanted to say. His classmates teased him because he hardly ever spoke to them, preferring to spend time surrounded by books and practicing his writing. Out of his two sons, Derek knew his little one was the one more afflicted by the lack of a mother figure during the past five years.

"DADDY! We have to go to school!" A loud scream brought him back to the real world.

Jackson jumping on his bed and on him was rather normal in the household, but this was not his older boy waking him up. That was Isaac, his usual calm, silent and thoughtful son. There was something really wrong with it.

His other boy entered the room already washed and dressed, wearing the usual scowl he got when his little brother woke him up before his alarm clock rang. He approached the bed and sat next to his dad's form to rest his heavy head on his chest.

"He woke up two hours ago. And he called me up, too. He made me stand up and I had to dress him up. He even made me comb his hair" Jackson mumbled into his shirt. Ok, Isaac asking someone to fix his hair got his whole attention.

"Now, now, what's the occasion?" He asked picking Jackson up and catching Isaac's arm to stop him from breaking his bed"Oh, wait: what's her name?" He asked gaining his little boy's best blush.

"Erica. She just moved here with her sister" he answered getting Jackson's head to snap up from his resting spot.

"You mean Lydia? Oh, she's nice and she's really, really smart: she could answer to all of Mr. Harris' questions" the older boy explained to his dad.

"Erica and Lydia. Guess I'd better dress up if I want to meet this lovely girls, don't I? Now, Jackie, go downstairs with your brother and fix up three bowls of cereals while I get dressed, ok?"

Jackson nodded taking Isaac's hand and heading down the stairs.

One loud phone call later with his very hormonal, very pregnant sister, Derek and the boys arrived in front of the building hosting Beacon Hill's elementary school; he barely got time to help Isaac out of the car that the little boy sprinted towards a small girl dressed in dark green talking to what looked like to be her dad.

"Isaac!" she yelled happily skipping to him before turning around to wave goodbye to her father- Bye daddy!-

"Bye, honey" the man said back"Bye Isaac"

"Lydia, would you like to come with me to class?" Jackson had moved forward to the taller girl standing right next to Erica's dad.

"Ok. Bye daddy. Remind granddad that he has to come pick us up, ok?" little Lydia asked.

"Will do, Lyd, will do"

Derek watched the four kids leaving together before turning to look at the man at his side: he was tall, slightly shorter than him but still tall. He had very short, brown hair and he was wearing a varsity jacket over some light brown pants and a blue shirt.

"You must be Derek Hale. Stiles Stilinski, Erica and Lydia's dad"he said cheerfully extending his hand for it to be shaken.

"Nice to meet you. Seems like you already met my boys" he smiled back.

"It would be hard, considering my daughters keep on talking about them" Stiles explained starting to walk back to his car "Plus, you were the high school hero for every member of the lacrosse team"

"What? I only played two years" Derek couldn't help but smile at the memory of his former life back in school; he missed those days wasted away with his friends, when Laura would have to cover up for him if he had drank too much for him to head home without their parents noticing.

"And you took the team to nationals for two years straight: Coach would always tell us to be like you" Stiles explained "Listen, we should meet up with the kids one of this days. I got to go now, but I'm sure that if you tell Isaac or Jackson they could come up with a day with the girls: I'd like them to have some good friends and your boys seem great" he told him getting in his car.

"Sure, that would be great, though you really must have spent very little time with my boys if you think they are good" Derek told him laughing.

"I don't need to spend time with them to know it. You can see it in their eyes. So, I guess I'll see you around" he said starting up his car- Bye Derek-

"Bye Stiles".


	2. Of Mothers and Sisters

"And then she just climbed on the tree and got the Frisbee back! That's pretty awesome, isn't it?"

Derek had barely set foot into the house before Isaac's voice reached his ears: he was used to the noise of video games or loud cartoons, or even fights whenever Jackson decided to make his life hell with one of his endless tantrums, but the TV set in the living room was turned off and neither of the boy seemed to be in their usual sprawled position on the couch.

He left his wallet and phone on the small table resting near the entrance door and headed for the kitchen, the smell of homemade cookies guiding him to his sons' position.

"She seems pretty adventurous, this Erica, don't you think Laura?" Amelia Hale asked his eldest daughter while removing a tray of freshly baked muffins from her grandson view.

"Our boys like them feisty!"

"Just like you, sis"Derek interrupted dropping a kiss on his sister's cheek.

Laura Morley née Hale was nearing forty, but her young looks and attitude made her appear like a girl in her early twenties to anyone who met her. She was sitting at the kitchen table helping her nephews setting up for dinner, tough her movements were slowed down by a growing bump hiding her fifth child.

"You love me" she answered "So, you just missed your lovely Isaac praising some girl in his class"

"Oh, yes. The infamous Erica" he said hugging his mother and getting a celebratory beer out of the fridge. Knowing his mother and sister, and seeing them both at his place, he knew that something was up with them "But you are not here to talk to me about my son's romantic life".

"Indeed we're not. We're here to talk about yours" his mother said before shooing the little boys out of the room with the promise of after-dinner cookies.

"We'll go out of the room, but we want one of our treats now. You know, to make sure the pact is respected" Jackson said, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Isaac tried to do the same but had to have his brother fix the lifting shirt that kept him from copying him.

"Either this one become a lawyer or you're going to be the proud daddy of a mob leader" Amelia smiled "Now, shoo"

"Corrupting my kids won't keep me from refusing any further date you try to set me up with" Derek said taking a sip of his beer and leaving the two women behind to get a shower.

Unfortunately, both Amelia and Laura Hale were stubborn. Maybe even more than Derek himself. That's why it didn't surprise him when both women followed him to his room.

"Really? Leaving the kids downstairs, unattended? Mom, I'd have expected better from you" he said trying to get them out.

"Derek William Hale don't you dare trying to teach me things about children: your father and I raised six kids and I know that your sons are not stupid enough to hurt themselves. Now…" Amelia started before being interrupted by the door bell.

Derek thanked whatever God was up there for saving him from one of his mother's endless monologues about the importance of finding a woman capable of helping him raise his family. He had managed pretty well for the past five years, what possibly could keep him from doing it until Isaac had to leave for college? Except thinking about his little boy leaving only caused him to panic about the sudden realization that, yes, someday both Jackson and Isaac were going to leave him. Oh, God, he hated his mother's talks.

"Ehm, hi?" his mental break down prevented him from realizing that he had made it to the door. In front of him was standing one Stiles Stilinski holding his youngest daughter in his arms.

"Hi. Hi. Hello! Sorry, I was thinking about something and didn't even realize I had opened the door" he said, cursing silently for his stupidity.

"Now, that's not a safe thing, let me tell you" Stiles didn't seem to mind his apparent insanity and simply grinned "Anyway, I'm so sorry for interrupting, you were probably having dinner already. But this little one" he said using his free hand to point to Lydia "Somehow ended up with Jackson's exercise book and I'm sure he'll need it for homework or something so I thought it better to bring it back to you immediately. I mean, bring it back to Jackson"

Derek was mesmerized by Stiles' ability of describing his whole speech with only his right hand whilst holding a little girl in his other arm. Yet it looked like something both father and daughter were used to and even Lydia seemed unimpressed by her dad's juggling abilities.

"Well, thanks. I'm sure Jackson will be really happy to have it back" he answered picking up the green book being held out to him "Listen, we weren't eating yet: you want to dine with us?"

"Daddy, can we? Please, please, please!" Erica pleaded from her father's arms nearly toppling over.

"We'd like too, really, but my dad is sort of expecting us. Since we moved back here, he wants us over at least three nights a week and I already bailed out yesterday because I had already promised the girls pizza and he's kinda not allowed anything with carbohydrates for at least two months and now I'm seriously starting to babble" Stiles said apologetically.

"Don't worry, you lost me at pizza!" Derek said smiling wide.

"Excuse him, he always does that when he's nervous" Lydia said.

"Shush you. Listen, dude, I'm sure we can arrange for another time, maybe after an extenuating play date so that we don't really have to worry about the little ones, ok? Say hi to Jackson and Isaac to me, ok? OK, girls, let's go. Say bye"

"Bye, Derek" the girls said in unison.

"Bye, girls" he waved back.

Derek closed the door. A smile still gracing his lips and his hand firmly clutched around the exercise book.

"Who's that yummy daddy?" Laura asked descending the stairs, followed by his mother holding one of the boys on each side.

"That's Stiles" Jackson answered "Why didn't they stay?" he asked after having reached him.

Derek picked Isaac up and held his other son's hand heading towards the kitchen, his well-deserved shower forgotten.

"Grandpa duties" he answered.

"Well, he's a nice piece of meat, if you ask me" Laura said sitting down at the table and picking up some breadsticks to serve to her nephews.

"Laura! Not in front of the boys" her mother admonished "He seems like a good man, and he knows how important grandparents are for the grandchildren. We are not always going to be there"

"I know, mom, I know. And guilt tripping me into accepting a date is a low shot" Derek rolled his eyes hugging her from behind "Plus, the good man is probably married"

"No, Erica's mom died two years ago" Isaac informed them before taking a sip of water.

"Ow, poor thing. And he's raising them alone?" Amelia asked her grandsons while serving dinner.

"Excuse me? What am I doing with those little wolves over there?" Derek asked pointing at the two boys currently emptying their dishes.

"Der, you lost your wife because she was a…"Laura started.

"Think wisely about what you're gonna say in front of my sons" Derek warned.

"B-I-T-C-H" she spelled instead, smiling angelically at her mother "He lost his wife because she died. That's fairly different"

"You're just envious because my kids still rather stay at home with their old man instead of running around away from home like that pack of yours" he snickered before receiving a well hidden middle finger from his sister.

"Now, now, stop the both of you or I swear I'm giving you a time out. And the boys get to have all your cookies!"

"MOM!" the two older sibling yelled while Jackson and Isaac rolled on the floor laughing at their extremely weird family.

"Dad?" Isaac asked five minutes into dinner, putting down his cutlery and turning towards his father.

"Yes?"

"What's a bitch?" the little boy asked angelically as his brother started sniggering. Amelia's eyes bulged as she put down her napkin.

"Now, darling, how do you know that word?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you, dad?" Jackson intervened smiling "I've started teaching him how to spell"


	3. A War of Breakfast

Running helps him clear his head. When he's in the woods there is nothing to worry about: no screaming kid under the age of ten demanding his whole attention, no best friend desperately trying to earn the right to propose to his high school sweetheart, no fear of losing his father to an heart attack if he keeps sneaking burgers in his daily diet.

In the woods, Stiles is alone and his mind is free. He only hears the thumps of his feet, fading under the volume of the music pumping in his ear, the low sound of cars passing down the road when a song leaves the place to the next.

Stiles used to go running every morning before Ann died. He'd woke up smiling, happy and cozy in his marital bed waiting for his two little girls to barge in and interrupt any morning interaction he managed to get out of his wife. She would laugh at him groaning and push his trainers in his hands.

"Better than a cold shower" she used to say grinning.

Now he only gets to go out on a run when his dad doesn't have to work and instead spends his time spoiling his granddaughters. Somehow, him becoming a widower has pulled some invisible string and his father is closer than ever: they truly are peers now. He grimaces at the thought.

His mind flow is interrupted by a movement his eyes caught on his left. Probably another runner.

But this is no stranger. Running a few yards away from him is none other than Derek Hale; he also was running alone but with no music. From the look on his eyes, he seemed to enjoy the sound of the nature surrounding him, a delighted look covering his usually firm features. It looked like nothing could stop him from running, as if he were completely lost in the trees surrounding his moving body. His very sweaty, sexy and strong body.

God, he had the hots for a dad. As if his life could not be more complicated.

And it was when he felt someone tap his shoulder that he reminded himself not to get lost in his thoughts: he was gonna get killed one of this day for losing focus. Yet he had promised his dad to stop with the pills on his senior year and he had made it this far, meaning he wasn't going to break his promise because of him being assaulted.

"Hi there" Derek said startling him with the cheery tone of his voice. Even though he had seen the man smile and grin just a few days earlier, Stiles still couldn't believe the man to ba capable of genuine smiles and cheers.

"Hi, sorry, the music. I sort of lose myself in it" he excused himself.

"I got that considering I tried to get your attention for some minutes now Derek told him and he had to stop himself from babbling that, fear not, he had his whole attention.

"Yeah, sorry again. Anyway. You out on a run, too? Well, obviously you are on a run too, you're wearing running gear and you look like you've ran for quite some time. Not that you look tired or anything, you actually look quite good" and with that he cursed and hoped for some god to open a hole right under him to make him disappear.

"You look good, too" was the simple reply the man gave him "Listen, would you like to go grab some coffee? I feel like I've had enough for today"

"Sure. I actually have to meet my dad at the coffeehouse. Why don't we go pick up the boys? I'm sure Lydia and Erica would love the company" he suggested while turning off his mp3 player and throwing it back in his backpack.

"Why not? I'll go get them and meet you there, ok?" Derek asked getting into his car.

"See ya there" he replied, silently thanking his dad's peeve for keeping deodorant in the car: at least he wasn't going to smell like a goat.

They met twenty minutes later, the kids chirping happily about the lack of homework for the following Monday whilst arguing about the supremacy of pancakes over waffles: Jackson and Erica seemed to be partial to the latter, both of them supported by the girl's grandfather, but Isaac was being helped by none other than Lydia. Pancakes were going to win with such an adamant speaker on their side.

Stiles laughed at his daughter's capacity of having his ideas accepted even by the most reluctant listener and fantasized about her future in the White House.

"If she keeps up like that, you got the next President of the United States in your hands" Derek whispered not to be heard by the kids.

"Dad, can I have bacon with my waffles? Pretty please!" Erica asked pouting

"Why, yes, miss Erica, you can" Stiles answered teasingly while glaring at his father slipping a double portion of maple syrup in his coffee.

"It's Sunday, son, I get to do this sometimes. Plus, I have to sweeten it for little Lydia here who's gonna steal some like last week, won't you" the sheriff said.

"It's good, grandpa" the little girl said matter-of-factly.

"I know it's good, but it's mine, Lyddy!" the Sheriff retorted.

During the conversation, the Hale family kept quiet. It was fun watching this exchange considering they were used to more calm and silent breakfasts: Jackson would wake up before his brother and get himself some cereals and a glass of milk, whilst Isaac had soon learned to prepare the two toast with butter he craved daily. As for Derek, he barely got time to get a cup of coffee before dropping the boys at school and going to work. Sometimes, on special occasions, Amelia or her husband, George, would come early and prepare breakfast for the three loner of the family. Usually Derek kept away from family meetings, mostly to avoid the pitiful looks Jackson and Isaac would get for having been abandoned by their mother.

The chaos in front of them was fascinating. It was new, it was different and they liked it.

"Dad, can we have breakfast with them again? They're funny" Isaac whispered in his ear getting an approving nod from his older brother.

"We'll see" he answered.

Their breakfast proceeded without much drama, except another small fight about the importance of white chocolate chips inside pecan cookies: that one was won by the fathers, who exchanged a low high-five that got them a weird stare from the Sheriff and Lydia.

"it was fun" Stiles said at the end of the meal after having paid and getting his dad from keeping Erica from jumping off the chair in some sort of Superman rendition in the middle of the diner. Yep, she sure was going to be a geek.

"It was" Derek said smiling at Jackson following Isaac around to get his game boy back.

"Daddy" Lydia appeared out of nowhere from behind her father.

"What?"

"Ask him out!" she said pushing him near Derek, who had to stop him from falling to the floor in shock. He wanted to tell her to shut it, but he turned around in time to see her skipping gleefully towards her grandfather. Now he remembered why he never let those two alone without Erica supervising.

"I'm so sorry. It's just my dad has got this weird plan of making me settle down for the sake of the girls and he has been trying to convince me to ask out everyone catches Lydia or Erica's fancy for the past few months and that's seriously becoming very embarrassing. Really, I'm sorry" Stiles tried to excuse his weird family. Those two were gonna get a mouthful once they got home.

"Don't be sorry" Derek said "She actually helped me getting a date out of you"

Ok, he was now starting to wonder if his pills were finally starting to give him those hallucinations he had been warned about years earlier.

"What? A date? With…with me?" he spluttered making the older man snicker.

"I did ask you if you wanted to get coffee"

"Yeah, but I thought. With the kids and everything"

"I never mentioned the kids this morning. You did. But I'll forgive you if you'll meet me tomorrow at eight out of the Clearview" Derek said before picking up a running Isaac and giving back his toy to Jackson "And that was not a question. I'll meet you there. At eight"

"O, okay!" Stiles said, his mouth completely dry "See ya tomorrow. Bye, Isaac. Bye, Jackson" he managed to say before the Hale family exited the diner.

Maybe his dad and Lydia weren't actually going to get a time out this time.

**Author's Corner:**

Hi, guys,

I just wanted to say thank you to all those who started following or like my story enough to put it into their favourites. It really means a lot to me.

Let me know what you think about this chapter and I'll make sure to update again by the end of the week.

Before letting you go, one last question: are you team waffles or pancakes?

Bye for now,

Lilylovesbones


	4. A Date?

"Look, my little brother all grown up!" Laura cooed from the door of Derek's room, Isaac cuddled in her arms and Jackson firmly gripping her right leg while watching his father argue with two perfectly identical ties.

"Why are you here again?" Derek huffed throwing both on the bed and crashing on a nearby chair.

"Because you needed a baby-sitter and neither mom or dad could come" she answered putting Isaac down "Calm down, it's going to be fine".

Derek wanted to scream: he didn't remember all that chaos when he had dated Kate. Well, it had been nearly a decade since he last went out with someone he wanted to get romantically involved with. Yep, he was starting to talk like his mother. Just great.

"I like this one" Jackson said after having rummaged through his father's endless collection of ties. He moved to step in front of his dad and aunt and proudly showed them a simple, elegant red tie "Lydia told her dad loves red"

Ok, if ever Derek had had any doubts about the amount of love he could feel towards his son, this was definitely the moment he realized there was no going back: he simply adored him. Then he remembered that he felt grateful because his eight year old son was helping him hook up with his friend's dad and suddenly felt pathetic.

"That's perfect. Thank God there's your son here or you'd totally be lost" Laura said dropping a kiss on Jackson's forehead to then move to help her brother fix his tie.

"Doesn't the belly bother you?" Derek asked watching the growing bump hidden under her shirt.

"You get used to it after the third" she answered "Now, doesn't daddy look dashing?" she asked her nephews.

Both boys turned from the corner where they had started a little game and nodded towards their dad grinning, Jackson proud of himself for having helped and Isaac simply to show around the missing tooth now leaving an empty place in the first line of teeth. Laura would've melted at the adorableness of the little one hadn't she been used to her own son's tactic: a toothless grin that big only meant trouble.

She ushered Derek out of the house after nearly twenty minutes of senseless babbling about having to call him in case of emergency, the numbers were on the fridge and he would keep his phone turned on just in case.

"It's going to be fine. He likes you!" she had to yell at him before closing the front door in his face.

"Does he always act like that when he goes on a date" she asked not expecting an answer.

"He hasn't been on a date since she left. That's the first time" Jackson told her sitting next to her on the couch and turning the TV on to let his little brother watch his favorite program.

"Really? But he has gone out before" Laura said to her nephew.

"But she never liked his companion before" he stated.

"We're doomed aren't we" she asked.

Jackson and Isaac just nodded.

"And remember Erica had to take her pills at eight on the dot. And don't let Lydia eat what she wants. Actually, both of you stay away from anything containing butter or sugar, fruit excluded" Stiles finished his speech while putting on his jacket "This is too elegant"

"It's a date, son, a first date: you have to dress to impress" the Sheriff said handing him a mint candy for his breath.

"Your granddaughters make you watch too many fashion programs" he smiled popping the sweet in his mouth and letting it melt.

"Guilty as charged" his father said putting his hands up in surrender.

Ok. He was wearing a tie, something he last did on his wedding day, he had gelled his hair, also something he last did ages ago and he was going to have a panic attack. He had to breath normally if he wanted to get to the restaurant alive. He kissed goodbye Erica and Lydia one last time and headed for the door.

"By the way, dad, you can tell Melissa she can sleep over tonight. I'm sure the girls wouldn't even mind having to share you with her for dinner"

"Don't know what you are talking about!" the sheriff said looking away and walking from the room.

"Tell her I said hi!" Stiles said going out of the door. Really, six years those two had been together and still they believed neither of their sons knew it. Scott might have been daft, but even he could see his mom being happier than he had ever seen her. They were going to need to have a world with their parents one of this days.

Thinking about his father's relationship kept his terror quiet enough to allow him to get to the restaurant. It was a rather fancy place, just opened up two or three years ago and he suddenly felt really out of place. Stiles and elegant didn't go together. He contemplated the idea of turning the Jeep around and phoning Derek with an excuse, but the thought barely got time to be formed before being aborted immediately.

Derek was waiting in front of the restaurant, looking as God-like as ever with his black suit and a red tie he probably didn't really feel comfortable with. In fact, Stiles watched the man shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other before deciding to take it off. Deciding it was for the best, Stiles took his tie off too and got off the car.

"Sorry I'm late. Some last minute reminders to dad took longer than expected" he excused himself while approaching.

"No problem, I just got here myself" Derek said "Wanna go in?"

"Yeah, I'm starving" Stiles smiled. Derek answered with a huge grin moving his hand to rest on the small of Stiles' back to point him to the entrance. The small pressure made the man wish for some further touching. _Bad Stiles!_ He thought .

The beginning of the evening was spent talking about their jobs: Derek worked in the family business, selling homemade products resulted from centuries of old family recopies that his granddad had decided to use to make money. He was mostly to take care of the money, having majored in accountancy back in college, though he had always wanted to use his minor most. He had loved arts back in school and had always wanted to teach, but the early departure of his grandmother, who had always taken care of the money, made him enter the business alongside his terrible older sister Laura.

As for Stiles, he had always wanted to work with children, because they seemed to understand his insanity the most. He had read Myths and Folklore and got himself a degree in elementary education.

"That's why you moved back, isn't it? They were looking for a teacher last year" Derek asked sipping his wine.

"Yep. Though I can't teach my girls because that would sort of cause of some conflict. It's just great to be able to see them learning something"

"And it feels even better when you know you taught them that" Derek simply stated.

Stiles nodded agreeing with the older man. From then on the talking run smoothly until one of the waiters told them they were going to be closing in twenty minutes. Four hours had passed and neither man had noticed and this made them look at each other with a sheepish smile growing on their lips.

They split the bill because Stiles had insisted, saying that Derek could fully pay for the next one.

"That is, if you want to go out with me again. It's okay if you don't because I get it, I am used to been considered a simple night out and really I would not be offended if you"

Derek moved forward and captured Stiles' lips in his. He waited for the other man to respond and nearly moved away after some seconds of silence and lack of movement from Stiles. When his lips were nearly completely detached from the other pair, Stiles took hold of Derek's jacket and kissed him again. The older man moaned when Stiles licked his lower lip and opened his mouth fully, letting his tongue slide in. They stayed glued to each other until Derek decided it was time for some oxygen to enter his lungs again.

"Wow" Stiles said.

"Yeah, wow" Derek agreed giving a peck to the other man.

"I guess this means we're going out again"

"Most definitely" Derek said smiling.

"Most definitely" Stiles confirmed.

Author's Corner

Hiya everyone!

I'm so glad you liked last chapter and I'm also very happy so many of you decided to leave a small comment to the fic. It took me some days to picture out their first date and especially their first kiss: I know it's sort of cliché for Derek to shut Stiles up when he talks so much, but, come on, it's just the perfect excuse to kiss him!

To alyssa14anc: don't worry I've got something planned for the boys in the next chapter. And maybe something for little Lydia and Erica, too.

See ya on the next chapter guys!

Lilylovesbones

PS Team Pancakes 2- Team Waffles 2


	5. For Keep

On the second date, they keep the conversation on general topics: the kids' school, how Stiles' dad had been trying to hide his relationship with his best friend's mom for the past six and something years, completely failing to realize that the whole town knows they are together, how Laura and her mom have been trying to set him up for a good three years. They laugh as they haven't for a long time and the parting kiss lasts longer than their first date: it gets deeper, it gets hotter and it gets harder to keep away from each other, but they always end up in front of either houses and the kids are probably asleep. Grandparents and nosy sisters probably are not.

By the fifth date, they are officially together, because it's plain to see how good they are for each other.

After an interrupted eleventh date caused by Isaac falling off a tree and an emergency rush to the ER with Stiles spending the whole evening moving from Derek to Jackson whispering that everything is going to be ok and no, it's not Jackson's fault that his little brother decided to climb up the oak tree in their garden, well, that's when Derek decides that if he ever were to spend the rest of his life with someone, than that someone had to be Stiles.

He wasn't going to propose or anything, he had learned from Kate that rushing in never helped either part of the marriage license, but he wanted to prove to Stiles that he was a worthy man for his affection.

"Ok, that's the deal: I really want to impress your dad and I think the only way for me to achieve my goal is to ask for your help" he still couldn't believe the sheriff had agreed to let him meet his granddaughters to concoct a plan. Really, too much time spent with Laura during childhood ruined his sanity and capacity of logic thought.

"You mean you want to get into his pants" Lydia said looking as angelic as usual. It took him nearly ten minutes to regain control of his breathing and brain: a eight year old kid should never ever know sentences like those. Derek was seriously starting to revaluate the sanity of the Stilinki family.

"I won't even ask how you know about that, but plainly speaking I just want to show your dad how much.."

"How much you love him?" Erica asked hopefully " Mom always told us that you have to tell others how you feel to make them feel good with themselves. You should try that"

Yep, he was a goner for toothless grins. Especially coming from a little girl that looked exactly like Stiles at five. If it wasn't for the fact that he truly loved this girls' dad, he would have wished for their mother to still be alive: he knew how much it must've pained both Lydia and Erica when their dad had to tell them their mom had passed away. From what he learned from the sheriff, who he had started to phone often enough because of his sons spending many nights at his place, Ann had died in a car crash; car had burnt a red and ran her over, knocking her and the pram carrying Erica on the side of the road. Luckily enough, Ann had seen the car approaching and pushed the baby away as far as she could, but the car still managed to touch it and send it towards a wall. Erica stayed at the hospital for nearly two months while her mom passed away right away. Scott had told him Lydia helped Stiles telling the little one right after she woke up from a medical induced coma: that sort of explained why Stiles and his eldest seemed closer, though Derek knew that Lydia had always been some sort of favorite.

"I love your dad, very much. And I know he could never love me as much as he loves you or as much as I love Isaac and Jackson, but I would like us to be a family. That is if you would like it"

"Does it mean we get to live with you?" Lydia asked turning her head to look him in the eyes, completely ignoring the Barbie she had been playing with only seconds before.

"Maybe. Not right away, because we don't even know if your dad would want that" Derek tried to explain to the two young girls. He didn't really know how to handle little girls, usually Isaac and Jackson accepted anything he said because he was dad, and whatever he said was law. Unless grandma Hale spoke, in which case dad's decisions could be easily overruled. The biggest mistake he had ever made had been made a few weeks earlier, the first night Stiles spent over after bringing the girls over for dinner. Stiles and himself had gone to bed, spoke a little about how exhausted they were after having to deal with four children under the age of ten and then crushed into each other in a dreamless sleep. The morning after saw them waking up into each other's arms, Stiles' head resting on Derek's chest and a pile of limbs crushed together at the end of the bed: somehow, during the night, Lydia and Jackson had picked up the youngest two and dragged them to the master bedroom.

"They look so cute" Stiles had said dropping off a kiss on Derek's chin.

"That's only the calm before the storm. Just wait"

"We could stay the whole day in bed, couldn't we?" Stiles asked putting his head back into its resting place.

"Now, what would I do with all the pancakes I cooked for you all then?" a voice startled both man, making them straighten up from their position. Both their heads snapped towards the doorframe where Amelia Hale rested holding a camera in her hands.

"Morning Gran" Jackson stood up sleepily from the bed to head towards his grandmother, dropping a swift kiss on her cheek.

"Morning Nana" Isaac soon followed dragging Erica to her feet, her free hand clutching a brown teddy bear as if her life depended on it. Behind them stood Lydia, flawless as ever, her eyes completely open and without a trace of sleep.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Hale. I'm Lydia and this is Erica" she said pointing towards her sister "The one snuggling with your son is my dad, Stiles. Say hi, daddy" she said normally.

Yep, having Lydia and Erica meet his mom had definitely been a mistake. Those three seemed to have a way with him that made it impossible to either Derek or Stiles to say no to any demand or wish. Yet, Derek had been lucky until then because he knew he could ignore his mother. He couldn't, however, ignore the two little girls in front of him. Not when they both sported the same cheeks their father had or the identical cut of the eye.

"Daddy will say yes. He loves you, too" Erica brought him back to present time with a tug on his shirt. That made him feel both better and more worried at the same time.

"What should we get for your dad?" Stiles was giving Isaac a piggy back whilst holding Jackson's hand, his daughters walking peacefully in front of them chatting about all the presents they were gonna get that Christmas: their maternal grandparents usually sent in toys to make up for all the time they didn't spend with them, their granddad and Melissa had promised a small road trip to Los Angeles with Isaac and Jackson so that they could visit whatever they wanted (and so that Derek and Stiles could have some child-free time) and the Hales also told them they were going to give them something.

"Dad likes books: anything that has to do with mystical creatures or philos-philosop-whatever that is he likes so much" Jackson tried to help looking upset for not being able to pronounce the world.

"Philosophy, Jackson. It doesn't matter, you know? If you can't say every word?" Stiles tried to reassure him.

"I know. It's just" Jackson looked away from him, taking his hand away from him and focusing on a nearby shopping window.

"It's just what?" he tried to help him talk. Jackson looked up at Isaac and that made Stiles understand he wasn't really comfortable with his brother listening " Isaac, why don't you join the girls? My back is not really what it used to be, plus I'm sure they'll help you think of something for your dad, ok?

"Ok" Isaac said cheerfully before rushing towards the two young girls, sliding his hand into Erica's pocket to keep at least one of his hands warm.

_I knew we should have gotten the gloves. _Stiles thought. He shrugged and sat down on a nearby bench picking Jackson up.

"What's wrong, Jackson?" he started saying "You know you can talk to me. That is if you manage to stop me from talking because, don't know if you noticed, it gets quite hard for me to keep silent after I started elaborating my thoughts trough words"

"You are funny" Jackson giggled. Literally giggled. After nearly three months of dating Derek, he seriously doubted the Hale boys were capable of giggling: he had seen them smile, sometimes grin, hell, even laugh out loud. But those were rare moments, moments he really wanted to be able to witness for the rest of his life because they made him remember that there was a reason for them to live, a reason to move on from all the tragedies he had to go through.

"I know. Now, will you tell me what's wrong?"

"She used to get mad, when I couldn't speak" the little boy whispered.

"Your mom?" he asked. Derek really hadn't talked about Kate, he actually avoided the topic and never pronounced her name. Laura had told him, during one of their secret coffee meetings they arranged so that she could get all the chocolate products forbidden to her in her own household, that Kate had always resented having kids: she believed her little brother to have found someone good for him, but she turned out to be abusive with her own sons. Not physically, but Jackson flinched for years whenever someone raised his/her voice.

"She said I wasn't as smart as dad said if I couldn't even say all the words"

Ok, he was going to cry. Stiles could handle tears. He had survived tears more than he cared to acknowledge: Lydia's first tooth, Erica's first tooth, butchered knees and elbows, some bumps on the head caused by clashed with poles, He could do it. He hugged Jackson, having his little head rest on his shoulder, his hand drawing soothing doodles in his back, whispered words in his ears.

"It's ok. You are a great boy, and she didn't have the right to tell you all those mean things: she was your mom and she was supposed to love you, but she didn't. It doesn't mean that you are what she told you: you are Jackson Hamilton Hale and you are a good boy, a great big brother and the kindest kid I've ever met"

Somehow Lydia seemed to have sensed the distress coming from his friend and had dragged both her sister and Isaac to the bench. She told them to stay put on the bench and joined the hug, mimicking her dad saying all the good things Jackson had done for her and all the stuff he had taught Isaac. His little brother couldn't really tell what had happened but could only nod in excitement at the memory of Jackson teaching him how to play lacrosse.

"Daddy?" Erica interrupted the scene they were making, surprised by all the weird looks they were getting.

"What is it, honey?" Stiles looked up from the boy he was still hugging, making sure that he had stopped crying before completely turning towards his daughter.

"Can we keep them?" she said pointing at the two boys next to her " And their dad? They really look like they need us?"

"I guess we can"

Author's Corner:

Fine,

Pancakes team won, waffles have to admit defeat. Anyway, I'm so sorry for making you wait, but I'm moving and my house is in total chaos right now. Once again I would like to thank all those readers who favored the story and started following it, your enthusiasm is what keeps me writing.

I guess I'll be updating as soon as I decide how long to make the story and how to continue (I have some evil ideas that will have you crying. Not "Slipping Away" material, if you know what I mean) (And if you have a Sterek tag on Tumblr, yes, you know what I mean).

Well, that's all I've got to say for today.

See ya soon,

Lilylovesbones!


	6. Honourable Mention

Stiles and the girls move in right after New Year's Eve: Derek explained the plan to the boys, who eagerly helped drawing and putting up the banner Lydia had suggested, whilst the little girl and her sister had to lure their father to the Hale house for Christmas dinner. Derek told them to be there exactly two hours before everyone else with the excuse of helping out setting up the tables and cleaning up the mess the boys had left after the unpacking of the presents. Stiles obliged, mostly because he knew exactly how much chaos could come out as a result of too many presents on the same day: he had had to ask Melissa for help, after an awkward encounter in the kitchen on Christmas morning whilst trying to slip out of the house without being seen. She stayed for breakfast and the girls couldn't stop smiling at their grandfather, dropping a well-placed _**finally**_ here and there.

The three Hale boys stood under their masterpiece and waited until Lydia and Erica joined them after having rushed off from the car.

"You know it's not nice entering someone else's place without entering?" Stiles entered the living room without looking up, his eyes too busy trying to catch any more sign of snow on his jacket.

"Well, if you say yes they won't have to knock anymore" was all Derek could say, his arms surrounding the four kids with an hopeful smile on his face.

_Will you move in?_ was all the banner said. And it only took a brief nod coming from Stiles for the children to erupt in a noisy, excited chatter while their fathers exchanged kisses under the mistletoe Isaac had insisted on hanging that year. The families get there right on time for dinner and congratulate them, no one of them pointing out that it might be too soon because, seriously, they do deserve some happiness and it couldn't possibly be worse than anything either of them has been through.

Except it can.

It's a slow Saturday morning, the kids are still asleep after having spent the previous night with Laura's kids playing tag for hours, so Derek and Stiles lay in bed planning the next two days, thinking about how great it would be for them to go somewhere sunny during the brief spring break the kids are going to have: the sheriff bought a small cottage near the sea when he married Stiles' mom, somewhere calm and peaceful where their family could spend some time away from the routine in Beacon Hill. It sounds like a good idea, maybe he could take some days off and Stiles is going to be out off work anyway, it's actually the only good thing that comes with being a teacher, that the vacations are always on the same time with the kids'.

It takes twenty minutes for Stiles to convince Derek to let him out of the bed: the children are going to be up soon and he knows his daughters enough to know that they will demand food as soon as they realize they are awake. And time also taught him that Jackson and Isaac are going to be dragged into complaining, weather because his girls posses some sort of magical power that makes them capable of convincing anyone of them being right or simply because the boys have realized how weak he is in front of some good performed pout.

He's nearly halfway to the kitchen when the doorbell rings and he unwillingly changes path to open the door. He doesn't understand how could there be anyone so cruel to want to wake up a perfect stranger on Saturday morning. Ok, he was awake the doorbell rang, but the sound had probably woken up the kids, meaning Hell was going to break loose sooner than later. Just great.

"Hello, no, we're not interested in buying anything" he opened up the door to a slightly older woman, short cut blonde hair, looking more like a model than a door-to-door seller, but her looks didn't stop him from slamming the door into her face to head back to the kitchen, ready to fix up breakfast for the army that was his family.

He could feel Isaac and Erica rushing down the stairs, meaning Lydia and Jackson must've already slipped right behind him to tackle him. Oh, the glory of morning 's routine.

"Morning daddy" Lydia sat on her now-usual seat trying to fill her glass with orange juice without spilling it on the table with Jackson helping her by holding the bottom of the jug.

"Morning, you all. Now what would you like for breakfast?" he asked seeing Derek joining them into the kitchen.

"Why does it sound like someone is trying to burst our door open with the bell?" the man asked scooping up a running Erica and going to the entrance door to open it.

"Hello, Derek"

"Kate" he breathed, though it mostly sounded like a whine if anyone ever asked her.

"Who is she, Dada?" the little girl had started calling him that soon after he asked his permission to move in with their dad: she never truly had a mother figure, only her dad, meaning she got easily attached to whoever she approved of. And Derek had soon gotten her approval.

"No one, kiddo. Go back to the kitchen and I'll be back in a minute, ok?" he whispered into her ear before putting her back to the ground and watching her skip to the other room.

"Dada? Really, Derek, it didn't take you that long to marry again" Kate smirked to her former husband. He caught her arm and followed outside, moving as far as possible from the kitchen window where the rest of the family could see them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he had to keep his temper down to avoid bursting out screaming.

"Came to see my sons, isn't it obvious?" she said sitting down on the bench in front of the house.

"You have no right to see them. The judge took that right away from you" he said forcing her to her feet, pushing her towards her car. "Get out of here, you are not wanted"

"It's not up to you. Let Jack and Isaac decide" she said, her hand moving towards Derek's cheek to caress it "Come on, what your wife doesn't know won't hurt her"

"Won't hurt me, indeed" Stiles. Stiles was right there, his hands trying to find warmth in his pockets and the scarf his mom had knitted for him that Christmas trying to prevent him from getting pneumonia "Isaac wants you to cut his toast. Apparently my smiley face is not up to his standards"

"Who the hell are you?" Kate asked confused, her eyes moving from Stiles to Derek.

"Stiles meet Kate, my ex-wife. Kate meet Stiles, my…" ok, he never truly had to define their relationship in front of others simply because they had been Stiles&Derek since the beginning.

"Boyfriend, partner, companion. Whatever you want to call us, I'm still Stiles and I'm still freezing, so if you don't mind, we got kids to feed and it really isn't in my top ten to die disemboweled by four kids under the age of ten"

Stiles turned to look at Derek, a simple gesture of the head telling him to drop her arm and come to him. Derek let go of Kate, sliding his hand into Stiles' and pulling him towards the house.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what she's doing here" he said once they had closed the entrance door and he leaned into it as if trying to get strength from it.

"It's going to be ok. We're going to have breakfast with the kids and then we're going to drop them off at my dad's where we are going to ask him if there's any way for keeping Kate away from the boys" he said, his voice low not to be heard by the kids, but firm as Derek had never heard him.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's back for a reason and I have no intention to have Jackson meet her again. That boy has been through too much"

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Derek asked pulling Stiles down for a kiss.

"You might have mentioned it, once or twice. Breakfast now" he grinned breathlessly.


	7. Shut Up Stiles!

The news of Kate's return spread all over town like a cloud arrived to darken everybody's mood. Stiles and the girls tried their best to lighten up the mood at home, welcoming the rest of the family with exquisite homemade meals and lots of cuddling on the huge couch bought after the Stilinskis moved in.

Derek tried to be his usual self for the kids' sake, keeping his temper at bay when the Argents' lawyer phoned to inform him that Kate was seeking the judge's approval to obtain the right to visit her children regularly; that night he stormed to their room leaving Stiles behind to explain the situation: they were probably going to have some legal troubles for some time, but nothing that the family couldn't easily fix.

"Why did she have to come back? It's not like she's our mom!" Isaac said one evening while trying to fight Erica away from his portion of pizza.

"She is your mom, sweetie" Amelia said glancing at Stiles to get him to help her out of the situation.

"Plus, kid, everybody needs a mom" he tried.

"Erica and Lydia don't have one" Jackson, head bent and eyes focus on his shoelaces, intervened from his seat "If they can make it without their mom, so can we. And we have you, and dad and auntie Laura. We got everything we need"

"Oh, honey, Lydia and Erica unfortunately did not have a say on the matter, right, Stiles?"

"Amelia is right, Jacks. I love living here with you and your dad, but I'd love to have my mommy back: instead now I'm stuck with two overprotective daddies that are never ever going to let me out of their sights" Lydia said, her tone calm but transpiring a certain kind of sadness when talking about her mother. In the meantime Erica had stood up from her chair and moved closer to Isaac and Jackson to hold their hands.

"Your mom was good, though. Ours never liked us" Isaac said, his voice muffled by a piece of sausage stuck in his mouth.

"He's got a point there" Amelia whispered to Stiles "Well, why don't you go watch the telly while we clean up? And Isaac, baby, remember that I have to change your band aid"

"Yes, nana" the boy answered racing out of the room with his siblings.

"I still don't get what my son saw in that…that harlot! He has always been smart, except when it came to Kate" Amelia said picking up the dishes leaving Stiles to follow with glasses and cutlery " Luckily he has come back to his senses when he met you"

"Hadn't he married her you wouldn't have Isaac and Jackson, so his stupidity server you well enough. You can say you have two wonderful grandsons" Stiles grinned.

"And two gorgeous granddaughters, I hope?" the older woman asked mischievously.

"Ok, what has my dad told you?" Stiles asked dropping off the napkins he was trying to put back in their rightful place.

"Well, he might have mentioned the idea of you adopting the boys so that Kate's plea to the judge might look more shallow if we can prove that Jackson and Isaac have enough parental figures" she chirped happily skipping out of the kitchen leaving the young man appalled, his hands still holding the napkins.

"Would you really do that?"

"Oh, crap!" Stiles screamed turning around to see Derek standing in front of the second entrance door to the kitchen "You should really stop scaring the hell out of me with your sneaking around!" he chastised his partner smiling at him before dropping a kiss on his lips.

"Would you really adopt my sons?" he asked again having his hands rest on the younger man's waist.

"Yes. They're mine, too, now. Just like Lydia and Erica are yours"

"Mine"

"Yours" Stiles confirmed sealing his promise with a sweet kiss. Yet Derek didn't seem to be able to keep it that way, requesting immediate access to his lover's mouth: he started exploring the now familiar place trying to convey all his love in such a simple gesture.

"I love you so much. And I thought, maybe, you could adopt the girls, you know, just to make sure they have you if anything happened to me" Stiles said " It's not like I want to leave you, far from it actually. Truth to be told, you're sort of stuck with me from now on if you let me go through with the papers my father so nonchalantly hid in my bag last week"

"Always said your dad was a smart man. And I am very, very happy about having you around" Derek smiled down at him "Mom?"

"Yes, darling" Amelia appeared into the kitchen in no time with the kids trailing after her, the four of them either giggling or simply glowing.

"Why don't you and these four eavesdroppers go out for some ice-cream and a movie? I'm sure dad would love to escort you to the cinema" Derek suggested, his hand clasping Stiles'.

"Sounds like a good idea, don't you think? And I'm sure they're going to enjoy a small sleep over at our house right after" the woman said before telling the kids to go and pack up some stuff to sleep on that night "I expect all the papers to be ready to be processed by tomorrow morning, you two. And have fun tonight" she winked.

"Thanks mom"

"Thanks Amelia" both man said in unison before rushing up the stairs to help out the children preparing their night bags.

Isaac and Jackson welcomed Stiles into their room with an endless hug that nearly knocked the man off his feet: hearing a loud grunt from the nearby room, Stiles smiled realizing that his girls probably welcomed Derek the same way as his sons had. Their sons. And their daughters. God, he now had a huge family, four kids to look after and two more children to worry about when time to pay for college came. Well, he was sure Derek had started saving for that just like he had when Lydia was born. Ok, why was he worrying about college when his eldest were still in elementary anyway? They would have time to worry later on.

They waved the kids and Mrs. Hale goodbye and headed for their bedroom: if his mother knew him as well as she said, the following day she would bring the children home in the afternoon, giving them plenty of time to clean up the mess they left getting rid of their clothes all the way upstairs. By the time they reached the bed, both men were fully unclothed, Stiles' lips exploring Derek's chest earning soft moans in return for his hard work.

"I love the sounds you make"

"Not as much as I love the sounds you make!" Derek smirked turning them over so that he now stood on top of the smaller man, their groins grinding into each other making them both whimper at the sudden contact.

"Oh, yeah, I like that" Stiles said softly, nibbling Derek's neck " But I liked it better when I was above you. I could see your face, your eyes closed slightly to enjoy more the sensation I make you feel."

"Shut up, Stiles" the man said growling before connecting their lips, no intention on his mind to let him go.

Author's Corner

Ok, why are the waffles guys coming out only now? You know what, doesn't matter, because I think they're both great as breakfast. I'm so sorry for making you wait for so long, but my university application sort of got screwed up and had to take care of it. I'm very happy you liked the last chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy this one as well (I know it's not my best work, but I'll make sure to make chapter 8 better, I promise!)

Well, thanks again to you all for liking, reviewing and following this humble story.

3 Lilylovesbones


	8. Sadness's not welcome here

Birthday cakes weren't his thing. Usually he'd let his mother make up some home made tray of cupcakes and then he would buy a grocery store cake for the evening, when he's be alone with the boys and they could celebrate together. But this year Stiles was there and he had raised the girls with a whole day spent in the kitchen baking cookies and a cake for whoever birthday's it was, meaning Jackson and Isaac were going to look totally awkward for the day while watching the other three members of the family shuffling around the kitchen. As for Derek, he decided to join them, mostly to get a chance to spend more time with his sons to talk about their mother's return.

Isaac had been too young when Kate had left and didn't truly remember her, which turned out to be the luckiest thing for the Hales: if they could prove that the Argent woman never truly had nothing to do with her children maybe they had a chance to keep her away for good. On the other hand, Jackson scowled whenever his mother's name was said and moved nearer to his little brother, placing a protecting hand over his shoulder.

"Jackson, how would you like your cake?" Stiles asked, his face covered in flour after a small battle had erupted when Erica refused to take her medication. It had been fun watching them argue, not as much fun when they both turned against the others and it became a proper battle, ended only by a loud scream from Lydia when cookie dough found its way in her hair.

"The bluest blue ever" he answered earning a small giggle from Erica and a roll of the eyes from the man standing in front of him.

"Seriously? Have you been watching Doctor Who again? Trust me, kiddo, that's becoming a drug"

Jackson looked up sheepishly getting off his chair and getting a glass of water to free his airway from all the flour trapped inside. He looked around, smiling at the scene in front of him. Less than a year ago he believed his dad would never find love again and that Isaac and himself were never going to have a proper family, not one like those they saw in television and Jackson knew his brother yearned for. It didn't take a genius to realize Isaac wanted a mom. Or something resembling a mother figure.

Then Erica and Lydia moved to their school, bringing their father in tow and rocking their world. And maybe it was ok having two dads, because anything was better than his biological mother.

"Can I help with the icing?" he asked walking back to the table.

"Sure. But we have to wait for the cake to be ready before. Why don 't you go play and I call you when it's time?" Stiles said shooing them out of the kitchen looking menacingly at Derek" And you are so helping me cleaning up"

"I didn't make the mess" he protested, but standing up anyway from his seat to help out.

"Dad, I'm just going to get my ball: left it outside earlier" Jackson yelled from the living room " Bro, make sure they don't put something girly on".

"Ok" Isaac said, mesmerized by a dinosaurs' show playing in front of him.

Jackson had worn his jacket, though it was late April and the chill had completely left place to the gentle breeze brought by Californian spring in the area: summer was coming sooner than expected, the holidays were already being planned and he couldn't wait for the Sheriff and Melissa to take them to the zoo when they went to LA in a few weeks-time. Darn, he was sure he had left the ball under the tree. He had been teaching Isaac and Erica how to play baseball, both his younger siblings thrilled by the game since he had tried out for the school team in February. His dad and Stiles had come to all his games and so had aunt Laura after she had had his new baby cousin, the screaming yet adorable Beatrix, and she had brought all her other kids along. His dad used to tease her for having so many kids, but now they were four, so he had to stop complaining.

"Looking for this?" Jackson turned abruptly towards the woods, hoping to have misheard. He knew that voice and he never wanted to hear it again.

"Give me my ball and leave" he hissed walking towards her and snatching the ball away from his mother's hands. "Dad told me the judge said you can't come here until he makes a decision"

"Oh, please, you are too young to understand these sort of things. Now come here and hug me" she crouched to eye level with the boy, her smile intact. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him towards a nearby garden chair, to then hug him forcibly.

"I don't want to" Jackson pushed her away standing up and rushing to the house screaming for his dad and Stiles.

"Ok, stay here with your brother" Derek said heading to the door, anger coming out from his every pore.

"Derek!" Stiles' scream stopped him dead in his tracks "You stay here. We don't want you to attack her, do we?"

"Would you blame me for it?" he asked.

"No. Let me talk to her, ok? You can watch from the window" he said. Derek gave him a slight nod and Stiles exited the house.

"Oh, no, the terrible Stiles is approaching" the woman teased "Derek doesn't want to get his hands dirty?"

"I don't want him to kill you. It wouldn't really look good for our family" Stiles explained sitting next to her "May I ask you what are you doing here?

"It's my son's birthday" Kate said.

"Except you haven't even sent a card in years. Why now?"

"I want my kids back"

"Don't you try to sell me bullshit: you want to hurt Derek and the boys, for some insane reason, but I won't let you touch them. They are my family now and you are never coming near them, capisc?"

"So defensive. The judge will decide what's best for the boys" the woman remarked.

"And he's totally going for you when he finds out how scared Jackson is of you! That little boy deserves better than you and if I ever hear you've seen him without Derek's or my consent I'll make sure the Sheriff puts you in jail" Stiles threatened.

"You have no right to keep me away from them"

"Oh, but I do" Stiles' smile grew larger, losing all the hatred he had held in his eyes until a few seconds earlier "You'll find out that they are legally my children now. As my daughters are now Derek's. You can leave on your own now, or I'll call the cops"

Kate's mischievous smile fell, her eyes filling with a desire of revenge that only physical harm could satisfy, but that wasn't neither the time nor the place to hurt the man standing in front of her. Stiles waved at the woman, his grin widening while wishing out loud to never see her again around the house.

Stiles re-entered the house, copying Derek's reaction of collapsing into the door the first time he had met Kate. He sat down on the floor, Derek watching him and touching his face to make sure nothing had hurt him. The television had been turned off as soon as Jackson had ran back into the house and the kids were standing between the living room and the entrance hall, waiting for Derek to give them the ok to hug Stiles to death. Jackson moved first, finding his way on the man's lap and letting his head rest on the spot where neck met shoulder. Lydia curled under his left arm, letting her sister settle between her legs, whilst Isaac sat on his father touching his other dad's leg while Derek massaged his partner's neck.

"I'm ok, you know? What about you, Jacks?" Stiles asked focusing on the young boy on his right.

"I'm fine" he whispered "But I really want to go and finish the cake" he smiled softly.

"What do you thing, should we go finish the cake or make new cookies" Derek asked "I'm sure nana wouldn't mind if we taught this three her secret recipe"

"You've got secrets cookies we don't know about?" Stiles feigned surprise "I definitely go for the cookies"

"Can't we just do both?" Isaac suggested, his stomach emitting sounds to let others know that hunger was on its way.

Apparently sadness could not last very long in that household.

Author's Corner

Well, hello!

I'm really happy for all the reviews for the last chapter and I must say I'm really surprised for all the story followers: you keep me going. Just to clarify, Erica suffers from mild fits caused by the accident she has had with her mother and the pills I keep mentioning help her not getting them.

Oh, and to be clear:

Laura is 36

Derek is 34

Stiles is 29

Jackson and Lydia are 9

Isaac and Erica are 6


	9. Growing up is hard

"(…)When I was three my mother packed her bags and run away. She didn't leave a note for my dad nor a goodbye letter for my younger brother and me: she cooked us dinner, forced us into bed with no goodnight kiss or bed story and waited for my dad to fall asleep to pick up her neatly packed clothes and left without a word.

It took me years to realize that what she did turned out to be the best thing she could have done as mother; rumor had it that she never truly wanted kids, that she only had Isaac and me to keep my father wrapped around her finger for eternity to waste his money around. The strong-willed and bull-headed woman who had become my mom by chance was overwhelmed by children's cry and nappies and simply escaped the trap she had built around herself.

My mother was abusive. To be her kid you had to be a genius, even at three, meaning that hurtful words were thrown at me whenever I didn't meet the standards she had put up to raise me: it was either doing things her way or getting punished, and such behavior led to a very low self-esteem on my part until I met someone who changed my life upside down.

I was eight, a new school year had begun and a new girl had joined my class: long red hair, deep green eyes and a persuasive technique that helped her convince her teachers to let her graduate a year earlier. Her name was Lydia, she had no mom like me and she would become my sister less than two years later. Because, you see, Lydia had moved to my town with her little sister and her dad, Stiles, a widowed teacher trying to tame the world into accepting his daughters as absolute leaders of the Earth. Much like his daughter, he is a bursting bubble of excitement and seriousness all wrapped together, which sort of explains why my father fell head-over-heels with him the first time he set eyes upon him. As they say, like father, like son.

With Stiles, Lydia and Erica our lives began again. My dad smiled more, cracked jokes (something not even my aunt ever thought possible) and seemed more relaxed; my brother Isaac, the shy one, suddenly realized he had a voice and he could use it to be heard, though that turned out to be a negative thing for us all, especially after he signed up for Lydia's debate club. As for myself, I discovered that mistakes can be made because we can't always say the right things or make the right choices, but we can fix what once was broken. It just takes some time and the right person which is why I have decided to become a psychologist, to help others see the good in them as my family did for me"

"Dad? What do you think?" Jackson fidgeted in his seat looking at his father pinching his nose where his glasses were a few minutes earlier.

"Did Stiles read it?" Derek asked setting down the paper his son had handed him ten minutes earlier to stand up and get a bottle of water out of the fridge. He took off the cap and gulped down half of the liquid whilst looking at his eldest son.

"I wanted your opinion first. Plus, pops usually focuses on the grammar first and sort of loses focus when it comes to content. Guess it has something to do with correcting first graders' papers" the boy said stealing the other half of the bottle his father had set in front of him.

"Whenever doesn't Stiles lose focus? Derek asked "Jack, it's good, it's really good and I'm sure the commission will like it too."

Jackson nodded, his eyes lowering on the paper he then proceeded to collect before bear-hugging his father and whispering a _Thanks, dad _in his ear and leaving the kitchen to join his sister Erica in front of the Tv.

So it really was time. Jackson was going to leave the following September and starting anew away from home and from him, away from his family and all his friends. Christ, he couldn't believe they had celebrated his eighteenth a few weeks back! Obviously Stiles had forced them into their usual birthday routine, with the cooking and baking and flour fight that erupted anytime the five of them spent time together in the kitchen. And if that had felt weird because of Lydia being away in college, the following year would be even worse, with two of the kids away. And it was Jackson he was talking about, the little boy he had held for three hours straight after he was born, the boy he had tried to teach baseball before having to rush to the hospital because his little brother hit him with a bat. The same little boy he had fought tooth and claw to keep when his bitchy mother decided to make a comeback: the thought of having nearly lost him still made his blood boil in rage. Hadn't it been for Allison and Chris Argent he probably would have killed Kate.

"Please, tell me you're not getting depressed over Jackson flying the nest? Please, I don't think I'd be able to stand another messy farewell like last year with our daughter" Stiles entered the kitchen holding the laundry basket and depositing it at his husbands' feet "You're folding all this stuff"

"If I remember correctly" Derek embraced Stiles, his hands resting firmly on the man's waist" You were the one crying like a child last year. And why should I fold all that?

"I wasn't crying, I had something in my eyes. And you're folding, sir, because that's your sons' lacrosse uniform and I already had to stay alive enough to clean it."

"How come they become MY sons only when something wrong?" he asked smiling and dropping a line of kisses on Stiles' neck, biting gently at the flesh resting at the base.

"Because Erica and Lydia are always my daughters when they mess up, which is rare considering they are, in fact, my daughters. Meaning they're perfect" the other man remarked kissing Derek hard on the mouth "I think Erica is going out for a movie and Isaac and Jackson are meeting their teammates for dinner"

"Really? Well then I guess we'll be alone for dinner?" Derek asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

They didn't have time to kiss again for a set of three groans came from behind them, revealing three very disgusted teenagers standing at the kitchen's counter looking for any kind a food available for a quick snack before heading off on their own paths.

"What? You're just jealous 'cause your dads can still tap each other" Stiles grinned earning a loud scream from Erica, a deep blush from Isaac and Jackson covering his eyes trying his best not to imagine his parents having intimate encounters in the room in front of his.

"We're out. But we'll be back" Erica said picking up an apple from the fruit bowl and kissing her father's cheek "And don't worry, papa, no matter what we do, we'll always come back" she said kissing Derek next and then skipping out of the house to her car.

"Excuse her. We read Jack's paper and we found it sort of sappy" Isaac intervened stealing the cookie his brother had been trying to focus on for the past two minutes "She's trying to cope by comforting you"

"It was not sappy, it was merely the truth. And we really have to go if we want to meet the others on time. Bye dad, bye pops" Jackson grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him out to their shared car.

"What are we going to do when they leave?" Derek asked, his face a mask trying to hide the true sadness behind his words.

"We'll manage. A few years and we'll have the grandkids to spoil. In the meantime, there's always Beatrix: you know how much Laura hates us when we feed her sweets before nighttime" Stiles said encouragingly massaging his partner's neck and letting a satisfied smile grace his face when Derek responded with a low moan.

"Let's go to the bedroom, now" Derek growled putting his hand on the small of Stiles' back to lead him to their bed.


	10. Letting Go Is Harder

Somehow they make it through high school, the four of them.

Lydia, the family little genius, moves away and starts world domination with a simple mathematical equation that takes her closer and closer to the Fields medal.

Jackson graduates top of his class and goes to his father's alma mater: after all, the whole Hale family attended Stanford and who's he to defy tradition.

Isaac makes it through the bullies and the teasing, mostly thanks to his older brother and sister's reign of terror. Every student will remember forever the embarrassing email spreading around the whole town about a certain someone's lack of intelligence after daring to insult the youngest member of the Stilinki-Hale family.  
Nobody should ever come near little Isaac, not whilst Lydia and Jackson are around. He joins his older brother after two years, but he's set to become a vet like his step-uncle Scott, the one who used to let him stay at the clinic whenever he had free time away from homework.

Erica choses not to attend college, planning to write the most amazing travel book ever written. She wakes up one day, pack her bag, hugs her dads and leaves: Derek and Stiles get a postcard after six weeks saying that she's in Argentina, helping out some ONG building houses and teaching English to local children. They get pictures and letters, but only when she has time to sit down for a minute and pour down everything she has seen in loads and loads of pages her parents collect to help her out for her book later on.

The children grow up, sometimes it look faster than it actually is and Stiles gets so depressed he has to spend all his energy in cooking and baking until Derek has to tell him to stop after he has to join the gym to lose all the weight he gained because of his husband's breakdown.

In the end it's Laura who finds the solution, _As usual_, she'd say. Adoption sounds like the best solution to cure Stiles' mother hen instinct and Derek has to admit he does miss the constant yelling and arguing and messing around kids bring around the house he had built especially for his huge family.

The boys come home with them nearly a year after Isaac and Erica leave. Boyd is almost eleven, coming from a good environment but the misfortune of his mom and dad dying in a car crash and his grandmother too old to take care of him. He's smart, bit of a loner like Isaac used to be, but he has a great smile that makes Derek go back in time and relive all the emotions he thought he would never leave again until grandchildren came.

Peter is weird, that's quite easy to see the first time Stiles sets eyes on him: his file said his father had been abusive and social services only took him away after his mother had ended up in a coma after some heavy beating. He is creepy and children don't want to be around him because he can get pretty scary, but Stiles notices he can be fun and sassy could easily be his second name when he has had a good day.

The rest of the gang welcomes them just like they welcomed each other so many years ago.

Jackson immediately bonds with Boyd and they talk about lacrosse and football and all the sports the older boy can teach his now-little brother when school is out and he wants to get away when their dads become too much to handle.

Surprisingly enough, Peter immediately takes a liking for Lydia. They can be found hiding around the house, talking formulas and fashion, discussing world politics while the rest of the family looks at them as if they were from another planet.

"Look at them, all scheming and concocting. Seems like yesterday Erica and Jackson last planned one of their tricks around the house" Stiles says from the kitchen counter where he's cooking dinner for one of their usual family reunions.

"Because it was yesterday, Stiles. This morning Boyd and Isaac woke up in their room surrounded by toilet paper" Derek reminds him from the table, putting down his paper and removing his glasses and getting his cup of coffee refilled before stealing away the steaming sauce from the pan his husband is fussing over "Put some more coriander"

"Oh, right. Remind me to tell them to clean up or no dessert tonight" he says moving away to check in the adjacent room to make sure Erica is actually helping Boyd with homework. It feels weird to have her back so soon, barely four months since the last time she left for a new adventure in Japan; her first book came out a year ago and she has been praised over and over by the critics and public for her outstanding creativity. Stiles has never been prouder.

" As if you'd send them off to bed with no sweets. You love them too much" Derek says, his head resting down on Stiles' shoulder and his arms embracing him from behind. Now that the house is full again they barely get time alone, but they wouldn't know what to do with all the time off they'd have. No, chaos is definitely better for them.

"You're right" he turns around and kisses him "Why don't you go out and play with Peter and Isaac? I'm sure they'd love to get some time with you, and Lydia really needs to get some time away from Maths."

"You just want me to stay away from the kitchen" he retorts, but starts heading for the garden anyway, a peaceful smile on his face.

It was around five years ago that Chris Argent sent Allison to the house to announce that Kate would stop tormenting them for good: throat cancer, the doctors said, probably caused by smoking. Jackson and Isaac had attended the funeral, mostly because their grandparents had demanded that, but after the ceremony they never spoke to Gerard or his wife again. They already had a set of grandparents who loved them: the Sheriff and Melissa, being too old to have kids of their own, decided to spoil the many grandchildren their kids provided: when Isaac and Erica turned seven, Scott announced the upcoming birth of his first born: Kyle and Jenna McCall were born on a gloomy April night and were welcomed by the whole clan during an intimate welcome-home party.

Stiles got lost in thoughts more often now, his brain getting old and slower but his disease still doing full time for him.

Derek always teased his about it, mostly because he knew how worried Stiles would get. They decided to start having regular check-ups, just in case, yet they told no one, not even his dad or Amelia.

He took the saucepan off the stove and put it away to use when the turkey finished cooking in the oven and reached the other members of the family in the backyard: his dad was playing soccer with Kyle and Boyd, who had ran off to play as soon as the last English question was answered; Lydia, Erica and Melissa rested peacefully on the chaises longues he had bought on the internet before the boys came into their lives, during one of those short-lived moments he yearned for peace and quiet. Amelia and George chatted with their daughter and son-in-law about the grandchildren still away for college while Beatrix allowed herself some giggles on the swing with Jackson pushing her.

And there, on the corner near his hydrangeas, were Derek, Peter and Isaac. His older son laying down on the grass shielding his eyes from the sun with an arm to try and watch his father trying to teach the younger boy how to swing a baseball bat. Peter huffed in frustration, starting off once again about the senselessness of such a sport when in world more important issues were going on. Stiles was sure his little boy cared about all the things he often spoke about, but he was fairly certain that this was simply the case of talking his dad's head off until he allowed him to go back to have fun with his sister.

"Daddy, would you please tell father to give up. I'm not good at sports" Peter yelled. Stiles smiled at his father when he caught the distinctive _Do you need help?_ look and simply joined his husband and sons. He surpassed Isaac with a little jump and caught his youngest hands, gesturing for him to sit down on the ground next to him and expecting Derek to do the same without being asked. He did.

"It's not about being good at sport, kid. It's about your dad wanting to teach you something he taught your brothers and sisters before you. He did it for Jackson and Isaac, then Lydia and Erica when they demanded to be taught no matter how uninterested they truly were. And when you and Boyd came along, your father decided that he was going to teach you, too." Stiles explained briefly, looking up to his husband to simply nod to confirm: after all the years they had spent together, it was a given that Stiles would always be the one doing the talking, while Derek would handle the grunting and threatening. It came handy, especially the first time Lydia started dating and not only Derek, but Jackson had waited the whole time for her to come home with the poor boy to scare him off.

"Your dad is right. I'm sorry if it looks like I'm pushing you, but it comes with the family pack"

"Who are you and what have you done to my father?" Isaac shot up from his position grinning like a mad man at his dad "Dad, you heard him? He said sorry"

"Oh my God, I think we finally turned him into a human being!" Stiles yelled.

He certainly didn't miss the eye-rolling from both Derek and Peter, nor Jackson and George looking bemusedly at him and his son. It just was really unusual for Derek to apologize or talk about feelings, unless it was to Stiles. Maybe adopting Peter and Boyd had been the best thing they could ever do after joining their families.

And now here they are, together once again. Lydia will be leaving tomorrow, heading back to her secluded laboratory in New Hampshire to find God knows what. Jackson will be off, too, leaving for San Francisco and his endless list of patients waiting for him to help them come to term with their lives. Erica, his little girl, will pack again and head off to help some unfortunate soul away from home, keeping it all in until inspiration will hit her once again. As for Isaac, he'll be only a few towns away, starting to put away money for his own practice and animal shelter, but he'll always be too far away from home for Stiles. At least he'll have his little boys, though Boyd will probably go back to being his usual quiet self when he goes back to school on Monday, only waiting for the summer to come around so that he can go camping with his brothers; Peter will transform in a little devil as soon as Lydia boards the plane, planning some new trick to have her help him with when she decides to come home.

Derek will be there, as usual. He'll come back from work, enter the living room and ruffle the kids' heads instead of saying hello like any normal father would say. He'll go upstairs to take a shower and stop midway into Stiles' new studio, Jackson's old bedroom now furnished to look like a writer's den instead of a lacrosse maniac. He will enter the room, his shoulders finally releasing all the tension he had to keep at bay during the day and he will smile looking at his husband looking proudly at the new chapter of his children's book forming under his hands. Stiles will turn around and grin, his face lighting up and showing off all the happiness trapped down in his still tiny body.

They will meet halfway and Derek will kiss him, pouring down his soul into the other man's limbs, getting new energy in return, Stiles' endless supply of strength and his joie de vivre.

They will come down the stairs together, hand in hand, their hair still wet from their shared daily shower and they will start making dinner with Peter and Boyd talking about their day in the background. Derek will look up from the half cut tomato and catch his breath at the sight of Stiles laughing carefree at their son's joke and he will swell up in contentment, thinking that's the way thing are supposed to work.

The six of them, first, now eight.

AUTHOR'S CORNER

So here it ends. This chapter actually came easily to me, probably because I knew since the beginning that it was going to be an happy ending or maybe because the characters are so greatly created by their original authors that they're easy to work with.  
I'm happy about all the reviews and kudos it got, and I'm glad my work has found someone who appreciated it so much to let me know that my efforts were noticed.


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